Popularity of Combined and Universal Endsheets Drives Production Improvements at LBS

It’s been a few years now since we first presented the Combined™ and Universal™ endsheets as a simple solution for using a standard perfect binder to prepare text blocks for hard cover binding. Since that initial announcement, the endsheets have evolved and improved. Their popularity has grown by leaps and bounds!

Why all the excitement?!?!
Well, it’s simple really. Combined and Universal Endsheets are the new workhorse of the bindery; saving time, eliminating steps and ensuring quality. >Download our Combined and Universal Endsheet Brochure

• No need for specialized equipment: Our endsheets are designed to feed from the cover feeder on ordinary perfect binders from leading equipment manufacturers such as Bourg, Duplo, Kolbus, Muller Martini, Standard Horizon and Wohlenberg. >Watch videos of Combined Endsheets running on different perfect binders. 
• Eliminate steps: No more tipping on endsheets or adding backlining after the fact. Everything happens in the binder - automatically.
• Reinforced bookblock: As the endsheets are attached, the spine is wrapped in reinforcing fabric from head to tail and the book is ready to be trimmed, rounded if necessary and cased into a hard cover. High quality bookbinding doesn’t get any simpler than this!

Maintaining quality and customer satisfaction. 
While we’re incredibly excited that LBS endsheets are flying off the shelf and out the door daily – service is still our top priority. We’re implementing long and short term plans to ensure our customers get the fastest delivery possible without sacrificing quality.

• Investing in our employees: Our endsheet operators are talented people. They do a lot more than push a few buttons and box up endsheets. They know the inner workings of their equipment and play a big role in designing our new endsheet machines. Each order is custom and the operator is responsible for the quality and accuracy. Operators have big shoes to fill so we cross-train our employees on different pieces of equipment to ensure that lines keep running and orders keep shipping. We’ve even added another shift to keep up with demand.
• Investing in equipment: LBS has installed three new endsheet machines in the last 5 years. Each one is custom-built and a design improvement over the previous version. (Number four is on order for 2012!)  >Watch a slide show of our newest endsheet machine in action.
• Reviewing and streamlining processes: We love that the Combined and Universal Endsheets save our customers time and money by increasing bindery efficiency. We’ve also been working on increasing our efficiency through smarter ordering and simplified paperwork. So far we’ve been able to reduce set up time and waste – this is only the beginning!
• Calling all experts: LBS has been in the book business for a long time and has a lot of knowledgeable people on staff but we know it’s also important to get an outside perspective. We’re grateful to have access to the best book experts in the world. We use the evaluation of our products and materials by published experts and our customers - who are expert bookbinders - as a compass to guide us in the right direction.

We’d love to hear your feedback on Combined and Universal Endsheets! Order samples for testing today.

>Download our Combined and Universal Endsheet Brochure

>Watch videos of Combined Endsheets running on different perfect binders

>Contact your sales team

Innovations in Hardcover Binding

Over the past five years, the model used to produce books has changed. There are now shorter runs and bindings on-demand. New machinery has been developed for the shorter-run market and existing equipment has been modified to respond to lower quantities.

Some binderies were applying a blank piece of paper in the cover feeder of a perfect binder to guard the adhesive and then were stripping off the paper on both sides of the book. The book block then moved on to the next steps for converting to a hardbound book.

We saw the opportunity for a new approach and as a result, developed a new endsheet that can run successfully in the cover feeder of most perfect binders. The adhesive can be PVA, hot melt, or PUR.

The endsheet design uses two folded sheets combined with a reinforcing fabric. When the Combined™ endpaper is applied in the cover feed, it not only applies the reinforced endpaper but also applies the spine liner at the same time.

The model for book production has changed from long runs of 25,000 to 50,000 books to an average production of 500 to 1,000 books. Manufacturers of bookbinding equipment recognized the opportunity and now produce equipment for this bind-on-demand/short-run market. Much of the equipment represents stand-alone pieces that are not linked together. This results in some limitations, but the equipment is constantly evolving and more fully automated equipment will be developed.

Current perfect binders that use hot melt or PUR can produce great paperback books. To produce a hardbound book, bookbinders would run a “paper” cover in the cover feeder to cover the adhesive and then later remove the two outer excess endpapers. To solve this problem, we developed an endsheet that is combined with a spine lining reinforcing material that can be applied in the cover feed station. With this combined endpaper, the perfect binder can now produce a book block with endpapers and a spine reinforcement that is ready to proceed as a hardcover book.

The LBS Combined endpaper can be made with a wide variety of reinforcing materials. Most are made with cotton cambric, but we can also use cotton stretch, nylon stretch, or specification drill.

The newest style of the combined endsheet is the textbook version. It is a Universal™ endsheet with a spine reinforcement of drill. A flysheet is bound in with the book block. After the book block is prepared with a perfect binder, the book can be side sewn to insure the heavy text block will stay together. In just one operation you apply the universal drill reinforced endpaper and spine liner.

Not only does the Combined endpaper save several operations—it produces a better book. LBS is glad to provide samples for you to see how this technology can help you reduce costs and produce great bindings.

- Fritz James, CEO

>Request a sample of the Combined Endsheet